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Different forms of 'you'

Posted: 08 Dec 2016 23:29
by Belandrie Meave
So I was talking to an IRL vod today and we realized that 'you' is one of the easiest English words to misconstrue.

Suppose I say 'you go over there'. Depending on context, I could mean 'you, the person I am speaking to, I wish you to go over there'. Or 'a person, who may or may not be real, goes, went, or will go, over there'. Or 'the persons, plural, to at least one of whom I am speaking, I wish them to go over there'.

There isn't a plural you, except for y'all which I'm sure is just dandy in rural Mississippi but not so hot elsewhere (I'm told Greek has one, I know French does - that's a whole 'nother ballgame, it behaves like the 'royal we', I love it). It can make quite a difference to meaning - say you (you-hypothetical in this case) are talking to your squad, and say 'you go reconnoiter the building'. Will anyone know from words alone whether you mean one person, two people, or the whole squad to go?

Also there isn't a way of distinguishing between 'you hypothetical' and 'you personal' (as in 'a person who may or may not exist' and 'the single person to whom I am speaking'), and as just demonstrated that can make a difference as well.

As Mando'a is all about clear communication and no frills, would it be reasonable to have different words or variations for each of these concepts? Using a clear word the first time prevents waste of time explaining later.

I propose:
gare for 'plural you'. Following the usual procedure for generation of a plural.
gar prudii for 'you hypothetical'. Lit. 'shadow you'.

Thoughts?

Re: Different forms of 'you'

Posted: 14 Dec 2016 22:21
by Vlet Hansen
I'm okay with gare, but I'd prefer to use context for the hypothetical unless there was something that rolls off the tongue better.

Re: Different forms of 'you'

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 17:40
by Ruus
I'm not sure about the hypothetical you either. I haven't seen a lot of instances where mando'a uses that kind of construction. It seems to me that context would be the main descriptor, and there wouldn't be much need for a hypothetical you.

I'd like to hear more on this subject, though.

Re: Different forms of 'you'

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 23:46
by Belandrie Meave
If you don't feel there's a need for a 'hypothetical you', that's cool. I was mainly trying to get something for convenience's sake, because it is a common way of phrasing a sentence in English, but as Ruus says, apparently not in Mando'a.